I don't really care for the opinion of actors on matters of war but he makes some good points. The U.S. does assume the moral high ground in conflicts before intervention.

One example I can give is in talking about the customs of foreign countries, the Air Force now briefs some faux pas in Somalia. As the story goes, troops in helicopters flying over the country would hang their feet out of the aircraft as they made their way. This showing of the bottom of your foot is perceived as a form of disrespect by Somalians, and many cultures in the area, and lost us the support of the population, even contributing to the failure of the missions there.

This is ludicrous. First, it assumes that Somalians were well aware of the US mission and in support. Then it assumes that these people can't get over a perceived insult of this magnitude, nor can they separate an actual insult from someone from a coincidental fly-over. Then, and most ridiculously, it assumes that people will fight and die over an insult of this magnitude. Even if all of that were true, why would the US have fighting on the behalf of someone of that imaginary barbarians culture?

Clearly this is ridiculous, but it is preached to people every day as a tool in teaching cultural sensitivity. Not by people who think they are lying mind you, but by people who never thought about it, and kept it going. We do the same thing as a country, just assuming that if people hear about the gospel of freedom that they'll become instant converts, and that everyone is yearning for democracy. In JFKs time it was at least a proxy war against Russia. Now it's just war for no reason.

What a stupid speech.

I have not read the script to Black Hawk Down. I did, however, read the Philly Enquirer articles as they went online and I saw the movie. Mark Bowden's writing was then and is now about putting the reader in the perspective of those he documents; BHD goes from a bunch of special forces troops attempting to keep order in a forgotten corner of the world for abstract reasons to an absolute in-your-face shitstorm in which your perspective constricts to about six inches in front of your face. The movie captures this quite effectively.

Somalia is/was an archetypal example of failed foreign policy through proxy warfare but it's hardly the only one. At the time of this speech the US had been boots-on-ground in Afghanistan for four months; the exact opposite argument has been made there by people hella smarter than a B-list actor.

It's hardly the first time an actor in a movie chooses to bitch about the movie after the fact... but cash the paycheck anyway. It's also not the first time doing so discourages producers from hiring said actor, which explains more than a little about Brendan Sexton III's career.